ABSTRACT
To a Slovenian, the word “coast” evokes a similar response as does “California” to many Americans: A place where life is simple and relaxing; where the sun is always shining and there is no need for snow tires. Living on the coast is a luxury, but holidays or day trips are within reach. Given that the coast is very short (the shortest coast of all the countries in this book), development pressures are high. Slovenia still suffers from some of the aftermath of the transition from communist governance to market economy. Yet this country is one of the fastest learners and best economic performers among the post-communist countries. The country established its first Waters Act in 2002 and a Planning Act in 2003 – only five years prior to signing the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol to the Barcelona Convention in 2008. In some ways, these recent laws appear to have benefited from the experiences of other countries and were highly impacted by EU legislation and policies. However, these laws and the restrictions only steer new development, while a relatively large proportion of Slovenia's coastal land was already developed prior to its independence in 1991.
